As you know, I love baking bread and having recently discovered that I am lactose intolerant, that’s a great thing. Not many people know this, but lactose is not only found in milk and dairy products. Lactose is used as a preservative for cold meats like ham and salami for example, and it is often…

If you follow Manu’s Menu more or less regularly, you may know that I have recently found out that I am lactose intolerant. Don’t worry, I will still be publishing “normal” recipes, but I will also start experimenting with dairy-free (or lactose-free) recipes. This Vegan Wholemeal Banana Bread is one of the first attempts at…

This Pumpkin Bread is stunning, even if I say so myself. Besides looking good, it is also extremely tasty and very easy to make. It makes the perfect addition to your fall table, so I suggest you bookmark this recipe for the upcoming holiday season! This bread doesn’t only look like a pumpkin, it is…

I love making bread at home and lately I have been experimenting a bit. These Savoury Apple Rolls are great on their own but are absolutely perfect as part of a cheeseboard. I love to eat them with cheese like Camembert, Brie, or blue cheese. They are perfect together, as the apples complement really well…

I must admit I am not big on breakfast. Italians, in general, don’t have heavy breakfasts. We usually havbreakfastse (espresso) and cookies or a croissant. But I do make an exception for a slice of good banana bread! This Cardamom Rum Banana Bread has quickly become one of my favourites. It tastes delicious, and it…

Today I am going to share with you a traditional recipe from Naples: Danubio. It can be considered the “cousin” of both savoury baba and casatiello. Danubio is a savoury brioche made up of many small balls filled with a variety of fillings. It is often prepared for Easter, but not only. It is traditionally…

During my kids’ winter holidays, I made these Sweet Yogurt Braids to have as a snack. They are healthy and taste delicious. And the best part? The girls loved them! I love sweet breads, don’t you? And these are particularly tasty and they also look cute, which is always a plus, especially for the kids….

My kids love chocolate. I think most kids do, wouldn’t you agree? I had some chocolate chips I wanted to get rid of in my pantry, so I thought of making these Chocolate Chip Buns. They are perfect for breakfast, and even more so to give to kids to eat at school. I am always…

I absolutely adore baking bread. The aroma that comes out of the oven and spreads around the house when I bake bread just puts a smile on my face. My go-to recipe for home-made bread is definitely my ciabatta because it is very quick and easy to make. However, I also like to use spelt…

I hope you had a great New Year’s Eve and I wish you all a fantastic 2017! Today I will show you how to make Italian Garlic Croissants. This is another version of the Savoury Italian Croissants I already shared with you a while ago. Italian croissants – also known as Cornetti – can be…

I love focaccia, but I don’t make it often as the real Focaccia Genovese requires a few hours of resting time and I don’t always have it. I have recently shared with you the recipe for a potato based focaccia which takes a lot less time to make and today I will show you how…

I love baking bread at home and what I like the most is experimenting with different flours and flavour combinations (remember my Spelt and Hazelnut Bread?). My absolute favourite bread still remains my quick Ciabatta, but these Chestnut Bread Rolls are a must-try addition to your holiday menu. Italians often use chestnuts in our cooking,…

Today I will show you how to make Savoury Italian Croissants. This is an easier version of croissants, as it does not require you to do a beurrage. The final result is softer, more brioche-like than the flaky Croissants au beurre you eat in France. In Italy, we call these rolls Cornetti and they can…

I love baking all sorts of bread, but Focaccia is my favourite. I have always loved eating it: Italian focaccia is AMAZING and it is one of the things I miss the most about Italy. As there is no way of finding a focaccia that is just as good where I live, I have been…

Olive Breadsticks – aka Grissini alle Olive – are a variation of the traditional “grissini stirati” recipe that I have already shared with you a while ago. I often make my own breadsticks, as they taste so much better than any store bought variety. I love the fact that they are crunchy and they are…

When I had to undergo surgery a couple of months ago, my mother in law came to stay with us to help out with the kids and spend some time with us. I was so happy she was able to come. It was great to have some company and to have someone to talk with…

I don’t know about you, but I always have ripe bananas on my bench top! My kids have this annoying habit of insisting that I buy bananas for them and then they don’t want to eat them. And I never learn… Anyhow, thank God for banana bread! I really like having a slice of it…

Today’s recipe is from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, in central Italy. Schiacciata is very similar to focaccia, but it is much easier and faster to make than the traditional Focaccia from Genoa. The word schiacciata literally means “pressed” and it refers to the fact that you need to press the dough down with your…

Today marks the start of a classic European bicycle race: The Tour De France. To celebrate this, Sarah and Tim from Curious Cuisiniere are hosting a fantastic event: Eating The Tour De France! The idea is to share a dish from one of the regions of the Tour de France race route and to post it…

This week Manu’s Menu will feature 3 Spanish recipes! I love Spain and Spanish food is among my all time favourite! It is also very close to Italian, and even more so to Sicilian, food, so I guess it would be very hard for me not to love it! Let’s start with a very simple…

I love coffee cakes or sweet loaves. It’s not something Italian – actually, it’s not Italian at all – but I really enjoy a slice of sweet bread for breakfast or with my cup of tea in the afternoon. This Cinnamon Coconut Loaf is moist, fluffy and airy and with a delicious cinnamon flavour. The…

Today’s post is a very simple recipe: Roquefort and Fig Spelt Crostini. It came about by matching a few leftovers I had in my pantry and as it worked really well, I thought of sharing it with all of you here on the blog. Blue cheese, figs and honey always work well together but the…